A four-goal explosion went for naught on Wednesday afternoon as host Kent did the Knights one better to walk off the field with a 5-4 win. Both teams capitalized on each other’s defensive miscues throughout the game, with the Knights’ lapses proving more costly in the end.

Things looked bright early for the visitors, as Ian Smith staked Salisbury to a 1-0 lead just four minutes in. A Kent defensive gaffe presented Smith with the ball in front of the net, and the veteran calmly slotted it into the net. Kent proceeded to score three unanswered goals, however, capitalizing on some careless play by the Knights. “The goals came on mostly bad turnovers or poor tackling,” Coach Ben Walsh lamented.

Despite the shift in momentum toward the home-team, Salisbury continued to press play in the Lions’ end. It paid off. Before the half, Kyle Watson tallied his first goal of the season to bring Salisbury back within one, 3-2, off a beautiful cross from Uli Soto.

Kent opened the second-half scoring to re-take a two-goal lead, 4-2. Addi Teye-Botchway brought the Knights back within one, hammering home a header on a corner from Soto. Salisbury pushed for the equalizer, but Kent cashed in on another mistake to boost the lead to 5-3. In the final minutes, Salisbury pressure in the attacking end set up another goal for Smith following a scrum in the box. Kent resisted further incursions in the final minutes, though, to secure the hard-fought win and send the Knights to their third straight defeat, all on the road.

“Another tough loss,” Walsh would sigh later. “We held play for the most part,” he observed, “but too many errors at critical moments cost us in the end.”

Pomfret looms next for the Knights in another road contest on Saturday afternoon.